Treasure
by uprisingdragon
Summary: Everyone in camp knew that Princess Gabrielle was incredibly girly. Everything inside her treehouse was either a bright shade of pink or white, her armor always had a glossy sheen to it, and to top everything off, she was never seen without her signature pink beret. When she starts to doubt herself, Keaton takes it upon himself to reignite her love for "treasure".


**Hey guys, it's me!**

 **First of all, I'm really sorry for not finishing Shepherd's Song. I didn't like the direction I was going with the story or the way I wrote some characters/relationships. I also had a lot of things in my life change recently (ex. I have a job and an apprenticeship now), so I've been pretty busy. However, I do want to get back into writing, and the best way I know how to warm up to it is to post a few fluffy one-shots!**

 **Okay, so I'm going to give you some fore-knowledge concerning my avatar in this story, Gabrielle (Gabbi). She is one of my conquest avatars, has straight brown hair, and is incredibly girly. She is a nohrian noble, prefers to transform into a dragon instead of use Yato, and is a super headstrong person. Fun Facts: Leo is her favorite sibling (the other three are pretty tied), Forrest gained his love for fashion (and his hat) from his aunt Gabbi, and she is around 20 years old. I'm pretty interested in doing more one-shots with her, but I'll talk more about that at the end of the story. For now, please enjoy!**

 **I do not own any Fire Emblem Characters (except Gabbi)**

* * *

Everyone in camp knew that Princess Gabrielle was incredibly girly. Everything inside her treehouse was either a bright shade of pink or white, her armor always had a glossy sheen to it, and to top everything off, she was never seen without her signature pink beret. Despite being told time and time again by Xander that her femininity was a distraction, Gabbi firmly believed that it helped morale and therefore should take precedence.

At first, nobody cared. If anything, a lot of the retainers found it amusing. Kaze would joke that she would make fast friends with a friend he had in Hoshido, Niles would tease her, and Azura would jokingly point out accessories when they restocked. However, many people quickly changed their perspective after the grim massacre in Cheeve. They would ask Leo for tactical advice instead of her and go easy on her during training. She didn't understand why she was receiving the cold shoulder at first, but it became abundantly clear when one of the soldiers refused to fight her because they didn't want to "dirty her blouse".

Nobody took her seriously anymore.

Gabbi ignored Leo's suggestion to forget about it and prove herself. She knew deep down that they were right; who could rely on a girl who couldn't see past the stupid pink beret on her head? She certainly wouldn't. Not only that, but she began to unconsciously distance herself from the others. She would turn down Azura's offer to go shopping and focus more on training than taking care of herself. Nobody, not even her siblings, knew how to bring back the ray of positivity they once had.

Today was one of the many long nights Gabbit had forced upon herself to train harder. They were scheduled to leave for Hoshido in a week, after all, and she didn't want to let anybody down. The brown haired princess huffed as she swung her sword harshly into the practice dummy, tuning out all sounds around her. Nothing could derive her focus from her enemy. With enough hard work, nobody would-

"Hey, Gabbi!" The princess shrieked in surprise at the sudden outburst and flipped around to see the newest recruit in the army, Keaton, grinning down at her. The two had met when he agreed to help her at the performance hall, but they hadn't had to the chance to have a proper conversation. Keaton didn't seem taken aback by her startled response and held out the object he had been hiding behind his back," Look at this!"

The princess took a few deep breaths to slow her frantically beating heart and shifted her eyes down, only to find a tattered toy in his arms," Oh...A torn-up stuffed animal," Gabbi carefully gauged his reaction to how sad or angry he was, but quickly became curious when she noticed how excited he was,"...What a dream come true?"

Keaton nodded vigorously," Yeah, look at those tatters! You ever smell stuffing that musty before?"

To prove his point, he lunged forward to stuff the trash in her face. Gabbi tried her best to suppress the girlish squeak trying to escape from her lips and calmly pushed it back into his chest," Don't you think we should try and patch the poor thing up a bit? Maybe we could give it to Silas and Azura's new-"

"What? Why?" The wolfskin frowned," Don't you see this is A-grade stuff! Look at all that moist cotton falling out of the open belly!" Keaton pressed the bear to his nose and took a deep whiff, giggling with child-like joy," And the stench-divine! I love it!"

Despite her best efforts, Gabbi managed a tiny smile. He reminded her of how she used to react when she found an absolutely adorable pair of shoes-

No. That was the old Gabbi. The new Gabbi focused on keeping her soldiers safe and her country victorious. Just as soon as it was present, her smirk disappeared," OK, Keaton. If you say so."

Her sudden mood change did not go unnoticed by Keaton. From the short conversation he had had with Elise, he had discovered Gabbi used to have a passion for clothing. While it was a little weird to him at first, he was excited to find someone who was just as passionate about collecting things as he was," Man, you're missing out if you can't appreciate all this goodness.

"Really, now?"

Even though she tried very hard to come off as nonchalant, a defeated tone laced her words. Keaton frowned again, but this time for a different reason. He knew the tone that she was using like the back of his hand. It was a tone he had to use countless times when other people, including his fellow wolfskins, brushed him off. The wolfskin pursed his lips, deciding then and there that he was going to be the one to bring the old Gabbi back," I guess I'll just have to teach you how to see this stuff like a real connoisseur."

"...Huh?"

"We're gonna take a look at my treasure collection! Look, touch, sniff, and learn!"

Gabbi grimaced, warily glancing back at the disgusting object in his hands," Er, what exactly do you mean by "treasure"?"

"Ohoho! Eager to see the goods, huh? I guess I can whet your appetite a bit!" Keaton threw one of his arms around her and pulled her in, acting as if he was about to tell her a huge secret," Well, just one of my many fine pieces is an embalmed lizard! I also have a giant bat corpse! It's huge! We can go right now if you want! It's all in my room-"

The brunette politely pushed him away, her smile obviously laced with guilt," Tempting as that sounds, I don't think I can manage today. I need to work on my swordplay if I'm going to stand a chance against Hoshido."

Drats. His plan had failed! He feared that if he tried to push her any more, she would reject him altogether," Well, maybe next time?" He asked hopefully.

One look into his adorable puppy-dog eyes and Gabbi was done. After all, he was just trying to be friendly. It was nice to have someone to talk to, even if it was a distraction from her work," Yeah. Next time."

* * *

As much as Gabbi loved that Xander was coming to Hoshido with her, his timing could not have been worse. Sure, her fighting skills were improving by the day, but they were nowhere near where they needed to be. Not only that, but people began to turn to Xander for leadership advice instead of her. Azura assured her that it was only because he was the future king, but the sudden change was like a stab to the heart.

So she trained harder. She began to eat incredibly light meals so that she could spend more time either studying Leo's tactic books or beat the stupid practice dummy. Two days before they were scheduled to leave, Gabbi decided that she would sacrifice her sleep in order to train harder. She pushed away her siblings' worried stares and the army's snide comments, focusing wholeheartedly on practice.

That was why Keaton wasn't surprised to find her in the same training spot as always the night before their departure. The sun had long since set, and while on patrol duty, he had noticed the familiar sound of grunting and a sword scraping wood. Without a second though, he happily approached his new friend," Hey, you! Do you have a minute?"

Now that he was closer, Keaton could clearly see the deep bags under the princess's eyes and her tired posture. He opened his mouth to question her, but Gabbi predicted his response and redirected him," Sure. What's going on? Did you want to show me something new?"

He gave her a look that screamed _we'll talk about this later_ , but decided that his best option at the moment would be to take her bait," I thought today would be the perfect day to show you some of my treasures! You ready? You might want to bring a drool rag. This could get messy."

"That's OK. I think I'll be able to contain my drool," Gabbi giggled.

For some reason, his heart sped up at the sound of her laugh," Y-Your loss!" Keaton swallowed thickly and brushed it off, pulling out his first object to distract him," OK, so, first up-" He glanced in hands and gasped in delight. He picked a good one to start off with,"-a spool of spider webbing! There are even spots with flies and bugs and stuff! Sorta like raisins in a cookie, but, y'know, better!"

Gabbi, on the other hand, was having a hard time following what he was talking about. He seemed to be talking normally, but for some reason, her mind wasn't processing what he was explaining,"That's...incredible," She replied lamely, hoping that it would suffice as the correct response.

Luckily for her, he took her answer with a big grin," You bet your tail it is! And look at this," He reached into his pocket once again and pulled a morbid piece of jewelry out," A necklace made from bat fangs! Just think of all the different animals whose blood has touched this stuff! And they're still so sharp! See?," Without a second thought, he took her hand in his and gently placed the necklace onto her palm," It's a little prickly when you wear it, but I think it feels good. No pleasure like pain! Wanna try?"

"No!" Gabbi quickly pulled her hand away, the memory of that soldier coming back too quickly for her liking. Even the simplest piece of jewelry would set her back, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to recover. The brunette quickly picked her sword back up and resumed hacking her dummy to pieces," But thanks. Now, if you don't mind, I have to-"

Keaton cut her off before she could push him away again. He didn't want to admit it outloud, but she didn't look too hot. What would happen if he left her alone out here by herself? The wolfskin grimaced," Yeesh, tough customer," He carefully pried Yato from Gabbi's hands so that she would turn her attention back to him," So, what do you think? Pretty cool stuff, huh?"

She glared at him in response and reached to take her weapon back," Not really. I think I'm missing something," When it became apparent that Keaton wasn't going to give it back to her any time soon, she rose her hands in defeat," Why do you like this junk so much?"

"What?! Junk?!" He practically screeched," Well, what've YOU got that's so much better? Come on! Out with it!"

Gabbi opened her mouth to retort, but the words died before they even had a chance to get out," I don't have any treasures anymore."

The black and white haired man softened, immediately regretting his outburst. His job was to make her start her collection again, not can it completely," Really? Are you sure?"

"I guess I have some books and ornaments that are very dear to me."

"Neat! I knew you weren't a lost cause! You mean, like, moldy books, right? And how much rust have you got on your ornaments? Anything fully crusted over?" He grabbed her hand and began to pull her towards her treehouse," I wanna see it! Let's go right now! Maybe we can trade stuff! I want your moldiest, crustiest object!"

Thankfully, she unknowingly allowed him to lead her away from her training post," Er, I'm sorry. Nothing I own is moldy or crusted."

"So...they're just normal? Ugh," Despite his tone, Keaton started to cheerfully swing their hands back and forth," No accounting for taste, I guess..."

Gabbi snorted," I guess not. But that doesn't mean we can't still get along, right?" Before they knew it, the two of them were standing in front of her doorway," What do you say? Friends? Maybe you can teach me how to appreciate this stuff," Much to her shock, she meant what she said. As much as she wanted to work on her training, it was nice to have Keaton's company. He didn't seem to judge her for who she was at all, which was surprisingly refreshing. So what if he was kind of gross? At least they could be themselves around each other.

The strange sensation of his heart beating a mile a minute returned, bringing a fire red blush on his cheeks along with it," What? Who said I wanted to be friends? Sure wasn't me, I'll tell you that. I just wanted to make you see how great my treasures are, is all," Keaton waited a moment before carefully throwing her a bone," But I guess if YOU want to be friends, I can deal."

Gabbi gave him an unimpressed look before pointing behind him," Keaton, your tail's wagging again."

His blush increased tenfold and he desperately tried to stop it," It is NOT wagging! It's not!" Once the wolfskin finally had a hold of his crazy tail, he gave her a brisk nod," Now, I need to go back on guard duty. Try not to distract me anymore."

"I'm a distraction?" She asked slyly.

"What?! Who said that?!" By this point, his blush had encompassed his entire body," ARGH! Goodnight!"

Gabbi giggled quietly and watched the wolfskin march off with what little dignity he had. He was a weird one, that was for sure. Yet, there was something oddly charming about him. Could she...She shrugged the thought away and finally retired to her room for the night.

* * *

How could she not predict this was going to happen? They were barely on the water for more than an hour before a band of thieves revealed themselves and began to ransack their stash of money. Not only that, but nobody was sure who the master of the operation was. People quickly paired themselves together before taking off to investigate.

Gabbi had agreed to work alongside Keaton, and the two were making pretty good progress on the north end of the ship. However, Gabbi's mind was starting to return to the foggy state it was in the previous night. Her lack of sleep was beginning to take a toll on her fighting, but luckily, they had wiped out all of the enemies.

The two de-transformed and regrouped, quickly looking in the chest the swarm was guarding. Her shoulders slumped in defeat when it was revealed to be empty," Darn! I thought that it was this one for sure! Why else would they send such good soldiers to protect it?"

Keaton frowned," Uh, those soldiers weren't that difficult. We fought much worst ones back in-" He paused when he noticed his friend swerve slightly," Gabbi, are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," She lied," I'm just not used to being at sea, that's-"

"LEO!"

The familiar cry of Felicia pierced the princess's ears, dragging her attention to the opposite side of the boat," That's Felicia and Leo! They must be in trouble!" Without a second thought, she jumped onto her feet and took off in their direction.

The wolfskin scrambled to follow her, but was cut off by an arrow in zipping past him," Gabbi, wait-"

She ignored his pleas and sprinted to help her brother and best friend, pushing her way past the thieves swiping at her exhausted form. When she finally arrived, she was met with the sight of her younger brother desperately fighting off a hoard of enemies pushing him into a corner. Gabbi immediately pulled out her dragonstone and held it up to transform, only to have it knocked out of her hands by an arrow. She spun around to face her opponent, only to realize that it was the soldier that had taunted her before," Looks like you're going to have to fight me without cheating, Princess," He challenged smugly.

Gabbi bit her lip nervously and pulled out her sword, desperately trying to ignore the black spots dotting her vision. If she was ever going to prove herself, it had to be now," Fine by me. I've been wanting to wipe that stupid look off your face for a while now."

The man didn't waste any time, lunging forward and tried to butt his bow against her forehead, only missing by centimeters when she ducked. She kicked his shin with all of her might, smiling when she heard a tell-tale crack and a hurt growl. She chuckled," Maybe you should've taken up my offer to spar."

"You may be laughing now," He gritted through his teeth," But who's going to save your brother?"

Her brother? What was wrong with-

 _Leo._

She growled, forcing the hilt of her sword into the goon's head before sprinting towards her younger sibling. By this point, the dark knight was unconscious, leaving a very ragged Felicia to try and protect the two of them. With a dragon-like rage, Gabbi dove forward, slicing the enemies apart with her sword," Felicia, you need to get him out of here!"

Her maid shook her head frantically," I can't-"

"NOW!"

Felicia nodded and took the reins of Leo's horse, evacuating to safety while Gabbi covered their escape. Her exhaustion was starting to catch up with her at this point, coaxing her to follow suit. However, there was no time to rest. Not with the incident that happened in Cheve, the war going on, and there was no way in hell she was going to let them kill her little brother.

Whether her practice was finally paying off or her dragon-blood kicked in, Gabbi wasn't sure, but in a blink of an eye all of the enemies were down. Both Leo and Felicia were a safe distance away, and the chest holding Iago's funds was sitting in the corner. She gave a sigh of relief and trudged over to retrieve the prize-

She was stopped dead in her tracks by an arrow soaring straight into her shoulder.

A pained yelp escaped her lips as her sword clattered to ground, her entire arm prickling with pain. She stood frozen in shock, only regaining some of her sense when someone pressed themselves against her," Never turn your back on a thief, darling."

She grimaced and tried to pull away, but the goon from earlier kept a firm grip on the arrow embedded into her shoulder," Ah ah ah," He tutted," You're not going anywhere," Without any warning, he ripped the arrow from the tissue and muscle it had embedded itself in, garnering a full out scream with it. He chuckled darkly at her misery and kicked her legs out from underneath her, causing her body to land on the deck with a large thud," You went down easier than I thought!" He laughed cruelly," Just wait until-"

"What the hell is going on here?" An unrecognizable voice grumbled. Gabbi tried to push herself off the ground to get a better look at the new face, but her enemy swung his foot into her gut, undoubtedly breaking a few ribs," We've got the money. There's no point in killing the girl."

"Oh, I'm not going to kill her," Much to her horror, he roughly pulled her hands behind her back and began to tie her wrists together," Do you have any idea who this is? This is THE Princess Gabrielle of Nohr! I know several people who would love to get their hands on her. Can you even imagine the price they'd pay?!" He quickly finished off by binding her ankles before crudely hoisting her over his shoulder," You could hop onto this deal if you want."

Despite all of her best efforts, Gabbi was petrified. This situation was too familiar for comfort: haunting images of King Garon shooting her father down clouded her mind, followed by Hans advancing on her at the bridge. They were the reason she had to be strong, yet here she was, weak. Was she ever going to see her siblings again? What about her friends? Oh gods, she didn't want to picture the look on Keaton's face when he realized she was missing. He would never forgive himself. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep her terrified tears from slipping out.

The leader curled his upper lip in disgust," Count me out. I've gone down that road once before. It didn't end well for me, and it's not going to end well for you."

"You bet it's not."

Gabbi's eyes shot open, and for a brief moment, she allowed herself to be hopeful," K-Keaton!"

The two thieves flipped around to find Keaton more furious than Gabbi could even fathom. The lovable puppy dog that she was so used to was nowhere in sight; His usually warm eyes had blackened into something much wilder, his hair was spiking almost straight up, and his fangs were mercilessly peeking out from his teeth. When neither of them responded, he growled," You're not leaving with my princess."

Her captor laughed," Oh really?" In an attempt to anger the wolfskin even more, he dropped Gabbi from his shoulder. Her wound hit the ground roughly, yanking a broken cry from her lips.

That was the last straw. Without warning, Keaton transformed into a blood-red wolfskin and lunged forward. He closed his fist around the thief's head and suspended him in the air before slamming him into the nearest wall without any hesitation. The leader's eyes widened in pure horror, terrified of the monster in front of him. He dropped his treasure and took off without a second thought, leaving his lackey to the mercy of the beast.

Slamming him once didn't seem like enough, so Keaton proceeded to shove his body into the wall six more times before dropping the man's dead body onto the floor. Any remaining thieves bolted from the premises, leaving the Nohrians alone. The wolfskin snarled, double-checking the surrounding area before de-transforming. They weren't coming back any time soon, that was for sure.

"K...Keaton?"

The young man quickly redirected his attention back to his wounded princess. In a split second, he was on his knees and cradling her body in his arms," Gabbi, are you okay?! What happened to you?!"

She wasn't going to be able to stay conscious much longer, not with the unforgiving black haze clouding her vision again," M-My...sh-should...er..."

With one swipe, Keaton cut the rope binding her and scooped her up into a bridal-style carry," Got it. Just hold on a little longer, Gabsi. Hold on..."

* * *

When Gabbi woke up, she was in her room. Elise and Jakob seemed to be taking turns fussing over her, arguing over whether or not they should use a potion or a staff. Jakob seemed to be winning, because Elise looked like she was going to start crying any minute. Leo, whose arm was also in a cast, sat in the corner of the room with an annoyed look on his face. Kaze was leaning against the wall, his face ridden with guilt. No doubt he was blaming himself for allowing her to get hurt.

"There's no need to be so glum," She chuckled, her voice coming out rough and scratchy," It's not like getting myself into trouble is a new occurrence."

In a matter of seconds, all eyes in the room were on her. There was only a brief moment of silence before the room erupted in yelling.

"Big sister, you're alright! I thought you'd never wake up!"

"Milady, you must be more cautious in the future!"

"Glad to see you're finally awake, Gabbi. Don't scare us like that."

"I apologize, Lady Gabrielle. I should have stayed by your side."

The next half hour was spent fussing over the wounded princess and making sure she was alright. Several other people came in and out, either to scold her for being so reckless (Xander) or smother her with relieved hugs (Camilla). By the time everyone had finally left, Gabbi as exhausted. She was about to nod back to sleep when a familiar head of white and black hair caught her eye," Keaton!"

The young man practically leapt into the room when he heard her voice," Gabbi! You're awake!"

She smiled," All thanks to you! I don't know what would've become of me if you hadn't stepped in," Her ears turned pink in embarrassment, and she quickly redirected the conversation," So, what's going on with you?"

He blushed slightly, but seemed to be managing his emotions better than he had the previous night," Oh. Nothing in particular, I guess."

The two awkwardly waited for a full minute before Gabbi sighed in defeat. Maybe he didn't want to talk to her anymore now that he saw how weak she really was," OK. I guess I'll try and get some sleep-"

"Wait!" He blurted loudly," I said "nothing in particular"! Not "nothing at all"!"

A shy smile found its way onto the brunette's lips, causing Keaton's heart to thump loudly," Okay."

He cleared his throat nervously and tried to get a hold of himself," I found some more treasure! Wanna take a look?"

"Sure!" To prove her point, she cheerfully patted a spot on her bed right next to her," Sit right over here!"

"Perfect!" Instead of bounding onto her bed in the care-free manner Gabbi expected, he carefully sat himself down next to her, his eyes trained on her wound. He gave her a look that seemed to ask if she was comfortable, and when she nodded, he pulled out his newest finding," Look!"

The brunette's jaw dropped when her friend pulled out the smoothest, pinkest seashell she had ever seen in her life. The sun shining in from the window glistened against its glossy sheen, causing a small gasp to break from her lips. She finally pried her eyes away from the seashell and met with Keaton's eyes, surprised to find that he seemed to be analyzing her reaction. Carefully, he took one of her hands in his and dropped the shell inside her palm," What an amazing seashell!" She uttered breathlessly, slowly tracing the outline with her index finger," It's beautiful."

"Right? Yeah," He seemed to relax at her response," Beautiful. No cracks, no smell, no grime. It's just a pristine, normal old seashell. Hooray," Gabbi quirked her eyebrow up at his odd response, causing the young man to cross his arms in defense," What? Got something to say?"

Despite the short amount of time that they knew each other, the Nohrian Princess felt that she was quite familiar with Keaton. Sure, he loved pretty much anything you could find outside your window, but this seemed a bit too...nice," This isn't the sort of thing that would normally go in your collection, is it?"

Once again, his face lit up with a bright red blush," Why do you say that?"

"I think I know you well enough by now, Keaton. This isn't your thing."

He shrugged," I see. Hmm...Maybe you're right," His eyes flickered back to her, seemingly contemplating his best move," Now that I've given it a closer look, I'm starting to think it's not so great after all," He gently reached forward and closed her palm around the gorgeous seashell," I GUESS I might as well just give it to you, Gabbi."

"Keaton...," Her first thought was to deny the beautiful gift. After all, it wasn't every day that you found something so positively pink. Yet, he didn't seem too thrilled by his finding. The only time he looked even remotely excited was when...a bashful smile crept its way onto her face," Did you plan on giving this to me the whole time?"

"What?! Don't be crazy! This was pure spontaneity!" His blush said otherwise," I just happened to find something and happened to bump into you! And then I happened to realize I didn't like it, and you happened to like it! It just makes sense to give it to you now!"

Gabbi giggled," Oh, I see. Of course. Thank you, Keaton."

He grinned in response," No need to thank me. You just got lucky, that's all."

"That seems to be the case whenever I'm with you," This time, she was the one carefully watching Keaton's reaction. His blush came back at full force, accompanied by the surprised widening of his eyes. The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity until Gabbi smiled cheekily," Your tail is wagging like crazy."

"Oh, that's just...," He didn't seem to process what she said until he made the realization himself," I-It's cramping up! Ow ow ow! Oh man, how crazy! You must think I'm super happy or something. What a hilarious misunderstanding!" Keaton laughed nervously, knowing all too well that his body language still said otherwise.

The brunette chuckled," OK. Well, I'm very happy you're my friend, Keaton."

"Me too-Er, I mean...as you should be!" Suddenly, his expression changed into something she didn't quite recognize," Actually, I have one more thing for you."

"Oh Keaton, you didn't have to...," Her voice trailed off when her eyes fell onto an uncomfortably familiar pink beret. She was sure she had thrown it away a long time ago. How had he managed to find it? Gabbi frowned," Keaton, I-"

He rose his hand to quiet her," Look, I know that I don't know you as well as your retainers or siblings, but even I can tell that this new front you're trying to put up isn't making you happy. You should be free to collect as many treasures as you want! It doesn't matter what other people think of you-"

"But it does! Haven't you noticed how people treat me when I act that way? They don't trust me at all-"

"I trust you."

The words quickly died in her mouth," W-What?"

Keaton fastened the familiar hat on top of her head, slowly sliding his hands down to cup her cheeks," Nobody cares about how many bows you wear or how pink your room is; They want you to be happy."

"But-"

"Hush! I'm not done yet!" He pinched her cheeks playfully before continuing," When you're happy, you work harder and inspire other people to try their best. What you're doing right now isn't working, and today's events are a perfect example of why. I understand that there is a war going on, but that is not a reason to work yourself to the point of exhaustion. Capiche?"

The princess nodded softly," Yes...Now I do. Thank you, Keaton."

He nodded and got up to leave, but was surprised when he felt something shyly tug him back. The wolfskin titled his head in confusion when he was met with the sight of his bold princess looking...scared," Gabbi?"

She avoided looking into his eyes," I...I know it's a lot to ask-and you can say no if you want-but...I was wondering...I mean, if you're okay with it...," Gabbi took a shaky breath," Can you stay with me?"

Keaton swallowed nervously, unsure of how to respond. What would the others think if they found them together? Xander and Camilla would surely kill him. There was also no way he'd hear the end of it from Laslow and Niles. Maybe people would think he's gotten soft.

Yet with one look at Gabbi, he made his decision. Who cared about what other people thought? His princess was scared and she needed him. There was no way in hell he'd leave her when she needed him again," Fine, but I'm only staying because the bed is comfy," He lied.

Despite his obvious fib, the brunette's face lightened up considerably. She waited for him to reposition himself into his spot before snuggling into the crook of his neck," Thank you, Keaton. I really am lucky to have you."

He blushed, but quietly wrapped his arm around her small frame to pull her closer," Anytime, Gabs."

* * *

Many people were relieved not only to see Gabbi recover from her wound, but also wearing her signature hat and bows once more. With her recovery came a cheeriness that the army had grown to miss. Sure, Xander had to actively work to pull his sister away from boutiques again, but he now did it with a smile on his face.

However, there seemed to be something deeper going on with their sweet princess. She had picked up an odd habit of collecting trash from the side of the road and quietly slipping it in her bag. If that wasn't weird enough, Gabbi was almost always in a good mood; she allowed the head thief from earlier, Shura, to join their crusade, she volunteered to cook more, and talked to everyone. Felicia seemed to be the only one that understood what was going on, but if anyone asked her about it, she would only giggle that it wasn't her business to tell them.

Although it wasn't as obvious, Keaton was starting to act different as well. He was having a hard time with the old Gabbi, but it wasn't for the reason everyone expected. Many betted that the two would hate each other when they discovered how they were polar opposites, but Keaton felt differently. If anything, seeing Gabbi finally happy melted his heart. He decided only a few days after her recovery that he would do anything to make her smile or hear her laugh. Unfortunately, many people pushed him away from her. They said he wasn't good enough to serve her, much less be her friend. He was too disgusting for their dear princess. As much as he wanted to ignore them and tell her how he truly felt, he couldn't help but agree.

Gabbi didn't notice at first. Honestly, she was just happy to have more time with him. The thought alone brought a bashful grin onto her face as she sat in her treehouse. Today she was going to have tea with said boy (Laslow had suggested it, of course), and she couldn't be more excited.

She nearly fell out of her seat with surprise when Keaton burst in a whole hour early," Hey! I need to talk to you, Gabbi!"

The brunette straightened herself up and got to her feet," OK, sure. What's the matter?"

The young man paced back and forth, looking more nervous than she had ever seen him before," I wanted to get your opinion on something. See, I've sort of been thinking about throwing away all my treasures-"

"What?!" Gabbi stepped in front of him, effectively cutting him off from continuing to pace," Why would you do that?!"

He refused to look her in the eye," They're disgusting, right? That sort of stuff should just be thrown away."

"But isn't all that stuff precious to you?"

Keaton didn't move his focus, so the princess took action and cupped his face, forcing him to look at her. He seemed defeated," Of course! But..."

"But what?"

"It's nothing-"

"Keaton," Gabbi said firmly.

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before gently cupping her hands in his and pressing a gentle kiss on her knuckles," I-I've got a way better treasure now...I don't want to spoil it."

Her eyes widened in surprise, flickering from her hands to his eyes," Am I...?" When he nodded, her ears turned pink,"...I'm your treasure?"

"Bingo!" Despite her wishes, he pulled away and began to pace once more," You smell super nice and you're so pretty! You're a top-rate treasure! Usually I hate those sorts of things, but on you they're great, just by association! I mean, who wouldn't love someone as smart and understanding and nice as you! Now, I know that I'm gross and not prince material, but I'm willing to change for you! So, uh, will you...," By this point, his face was just as bright as her ears,"...be with me?"

Gabbi had to suppress herself from squealing," Before I give you my answer, I've got two things to say to you."

She giggled when he paled," Okay...What's up?"

"First: I hope you mean that I'm figuratively your treasure, not literally."

An annoyed pout crossed his face," Of course. I don't collect people, Gabbi. I'm actually quite insulted that you would-" The words died off when the princess pressed a quick kiss on his cheek, his will quickly trickling away," G-Go on."

Gabbi laughed at his reaction," Second: I think it's important for partners to really consider each other's feelings. And the fact that you were willing to give up your treasures means the world to me," She shyly reached for his hand and pulled him closer, hugging it close to her heart," But, at the same time, I don't want my love to give up the things he adores. So you don't have to throw away your treasures, Okay?"

"Your love?" His tail began wagging furiously," Did you just say I'm your love?"

"Yup! If you'll have me, of course-"

"Awoooooooooo!" Without warning, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and spun her around, pressing dozens of kisses on her face," You're the best, Gabs! I promise I'll take good care of you! I'll dust you and polish you every day!"

"...Aren't those the sorts of things you'd do with your treasures?"

The wolfskin pecked her nose playfully," Haha! Gotcha! It was just a joke, silly."

She blushed in embarrassment," Oh, you. Heehee. I think this is the start of something wonderful."

"You are my greatest treasure of all, and you smell the nicest. I hope you're ready to be really happy. From now on, I'm keeping you all to myself."

* * *

 **Okay, so if you remember my little convos with Shepherd's Song, you know that I was planning on marrying Silas. Well, I did, and found him somewhat underwhelming. I think a huge part of the reason why is because of Keaton. Let me start off by saying I had no intention of marrying him; however, he was a huge cutie and I caved in. I find especially ironic because Gabbi is super girly and usually wouldn't be attracted to someone like him. However, they are both extremely similar at their cores, and I feel that they make a great team.  
**

 **So I've mentioned other Avatars. I have two Conquest Avatars, two Birthright Avatars, and one Revelations Avatar:**

 **Usagi:** **Conquest Avatar. Super positive and peppy, frighteningly naive, extremely loyal. 18 years old. Short, gray hair. Wyvern Knight because she doesn't feel worthy of Yato and doesn't really like turning into a dragon (she feels guilty for what happened in Hoshido). Wields Garon's axe after he parishes.**

 **Gabrielle:** **Conquest Avatar. Very headstrong, girly, and tries very hard to be strong. 20 years old. Straight, brown hair. Never seen without her signature pink beret. Nohrian Noble because she is proud of her country (she was raised to be bitter towards Hoshido). Prefers to turn into a dragon instead of wield Yato. Marries Keaton.**

 **Silvur:** **Birthrights Avatar. Also headstrong, but also charming and suave. Very intelligent and thinks things out ahead of time. Default male body with black hair (like Mikoto). Hoshidan Noble because he is proud of his lineage. Prefers using Yato to turning into a dragon. Easy-going when he wants to be, but will do anything to protect his family.**

 **Siezo:** **Originally a Revelations Avatar, but shifted into a Birthrights one. Green choppy hair, like Kaze. Admires the heck out of the ninja brothers, decides to be a dread fighter to follow in their footsteps. Very laid back and sweet. Hates conflict and doesn't like the war path he is on. 17 years old (only a month older than Leo), but acts younger. Bookworm and introvert.**

 **Emira : Revelations Avatar. Reserved, guilt-ridden, but also incredibly loyal, sweet, and understanding. Default female Avatar build. Starts off with very little self-confidence and is incredibly grateful for Azura's help. Decides not to choose nobility between Nohr and Hoshido and chooses to become and Master of Arms instead. Protective of her family and her army (would give her life for any of them). Very determined.**

 **I made a choice to leave who most of the Avatars end up with out just in case I decide to write little one-shots for them as well. Would you guys be interested in that? If so, name which one you would like to see and I think it'd be cool to see who you think they'll end up with (one of them should be very easy to guess). Thank you once again guys, and I hope to put more up soon!**

 **-Uprisingdragon**


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